Son of Former Libyan Dictator Gaddafi Runs for President... Controversy Over Eligibility

Declared Political Comeback This Year After Disappearing Since 2017 Release
ICC Warrant for Crimes Against Humanity Still Valid...Controversy in Libya Politics

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The son of Muammar Gaddafi, the former Libyan dictator ousted in 2011, has registered as a candidate for the upcoming Libyan presidential election next month, drawing significant attention. He was previously arrested and even sentenced to death following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime, raising growing controversy over his eligibility to run in the election.

According to foreign media including Al Jazeera on the 14th (local time), the Libyan Election Commission announced in an online statement that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi registered as a presidential candidate in the southern city of Sabha and has received his voting card. An online video showed him wearing traditional Bedouin attire and a headscarf, likely delivering a brief speech quoting the Islamic holy book, the Quran, after registering as a candidate. The Libyan presidential election is scheduled for the 24th of next month, and the election commission is reportedly accepting candidate registrations until the end of this month.

Al-Islam, 49, was once considered a strong contender to succeed Gaddafi but was arrested after the regime's collapse and sentenced to death in 2017 before being released. After years of absence from public activities, he hinted at a political comeback in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) last July and has since resumed political activities.

Although he has registered as a presidential candidate, controversy over his eligibility continues both inside and outside Libya. The International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant against him in 2011 on charges of crimes against humanity, maintains that the warrant is still valid. Voices within Libyan politics are also growing louder, demanding that his candidacy be disqualified, leaving it uncertain whether he will be able to participate in the election.

Meanwhile, Libya has been embroiled in civil war since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. However, in October last year, under UN mediation, eastern rebels and government forces agreed to a ceasefire and consented to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. Currently, Khalifa Haftar, the former commander of the eastern rebel forces, and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the interim prime minister leading the transitional government, are expected to run as leading presidential candidates.